Latvia offered assistance to Nepal following flood disaster - PM

RIGA - Latvia offered assistance to Nepal in the wake of the flash flood disaster that occurred there a week ago, but no specific request has been received at this time, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (United List) told reporters today following a meeting with President Edgars Rinkevics.

The prime minister did not specify what kind of assistance had been offered.

Kulbergs said that there is currently a glimmer of hope for finding the Latvian travelers missing after devastating floods in Nepal, but the search is seriously hampered by the rainy season there.

Kulbergs also underlined that the government will do everything it can to help and support the relatives of these travelers. A representative from the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now arrived in Nepal to assist the Latvian side on the ground in maintaining contact with the Nepalese authorities. This representative will also assist in the event the remains of a Latvian citizen are found and need to be repatriated to Latvia. Relatives will also be informed about the next steps in such a case.

According to Kulbergs, several foreign tourists are known to have reached Chinese territory during the flood disaster, but Latvia has not yet received a response regarding these people.

For his part, Rinkevics acknowledged that the situation in Nepal is dire, and rescue efforts there are not as straightforward as they might be in Europe or Latvia. Nevertheless, Latvian authorities are working to provide the relatives who remain in Latvia with the maximum possible emotional and informational support.

This week, the State Police reported that it had received information about instances where scammers have attempted to defraud the relatives of Latvians who have gone missing in Nepal.

The president expressed his hope that these scammers will be apprehended and receive the harshest penalties possible, both to send a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated and to deter others.

Kulbergs acknowledged that scammers exploit any misfortune to line their pockets, and that people must always be vigilant so as not to fall into the traps set by these criminals.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed LETA that a representative of the Consular Department has already started work in Nepal. Meanwhile, the honorary consul continues to maintain active communication with local authorities.

To date, 31 closest relatives of missing Latvians have submitted DNA samples.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to assist and coordinate practical matters that may arise for the relatives of those missing in Nepal, with the aim of providing information on where and what kind of assistance they can receive.

Edite Medne, Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department, reveals in a video posted on X that the last communication with the guide of the largest Latvian group on the day of the tragedy took place at 8:38 a.m. He spoke with his brother in Kathmandu by phone, and this took place at a border crossing on the Chinese side.

Meanwhile, European Union (EU) authorities report that the information available to them indicates the last communication took place at 8:41 a.m. "In any case, we are talking about a fairly short period of time during which this communication has been lost," Medne said.

As reported, on August 26, a glacier collapsed, triggering a flow of ice debris and resulting in a flood of water and mud from a glacial lake, causing widespread damage in Nepal and China. By the morning of August 31, at least 900 people had been confirmed dead in the natural disaster, while approximately 4,200 were missing.

A large group of Latvian tourists, organized by yoga enthusiasts from the company Yantra, was also near the epicenter of the disaster, while a smaller number of Latvian tourists were in the disaster zone as part of a group organized by the local company Mighty Himalayan Trek. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has information that three Latvian citizens who were in the region at the time were not affected by the flood-induced mudslide in Nepal, but 33 are currently considered missing.